The new setup is designed to greatly reduce the amount of full-speed contact between the cover and return teams and, in turn, reduce injuries.
HAISLOP: Are you sure you would miss kickoffs in the NFL?
Among the biggest changes: The covering team can’t get a running start before the kick; all but three players on the return team must line up within a 15-yard “setup zone” beginning 10 yards from the spot of the kick; and all those players at midfield can’t hit each other until the ball hits the ground or is caught by the receiving team.
The league’s operations department released a video breakdown after the changes were approved:
Player safety has been the driving force behind these changes. As SN’s Tadd Haislop wrote earlier this month:
The kickoff has survived after much talk about its possible elimination. The changes approved Tuesday, made with substantial input by coaches, will help determine whether the play has a long-term future.
